Linked below is the official transcript of the invitation-only press briefing held by AARO Acting Director Tim Phillips on March 6, 2024.
Excerpts from Phillips: “AARO, as designed by Congress, had unprecedented access to classified programs. Nobody blocked where we could go or the questions we asked. Nobody in the government influenced the findings in the report. As a career Intel officer, I am just amazed at the access we had to some of our nation’s most sensitive programs. Nobody said no.
“There was a challenge because some of these allegations that we received, passed to us by Congress or we had in our interviews, people were commenting on things they saw or they heard second-hand from 20, 30 years ago. And as we would go back and try to do an investigation, most of the individuals with first-hand knowledge are now retired….
“So I don’t think there’s ever been a government organization with the authorities and with the amount of funding that we receive from Congress. As the acting director, I work for the Deputy Director of Defense [Deputy Secretary of Defense]….trying to get information, we’ve actually had to solicit her personal assistance to open a door. I don’t believe any previous government attempt to research UFOs, UAPs has ever had that type of top cover. And I will tell you that Congress members and staffers all throughout the government, they took a personal interest in it. They empowered what we did. And I am sincere when I say–and I’ve only been there since 1 October–but nobody got in our way and said no. And when we had people were slow to agree, the door was eventually opened.”
submitted by /u/Implacable_Gaze
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